Kanye West reportedly wanted to name an album after Hitler and repeatedly praised the Nazis, according to former colleagues who worked with him over the course of his decades-long career.
An anonymous business executive who worked with West told CNN that he had an “obsession” with the German dictator.
“He would praise Hitler by saying how incredible it was that he was able to accumulate so much power and would talk about all the great things he and the Nazi Party achieved for the German people,” the whistleblower reportedly said.
He also claimed that West praised the Nazi's use of propaganda and spoke openly about reading Mein Kampf.
Four sources said he had suggested “Hitler” as a potential title for the 2018 album “Ye”, CNN reported.
The news comes after West himself claimed that he had lost $2 billion in one week.
In a message posted to his Instagram account and directed at Jewish businessman Ari Emanuel, he said: "I lost 2 billion dollars in one day and I’m still alive."
A former employee of celebrity gossip website TMZ, Van Lathan Jr, has meanwhile claimed that West praised Hitler during a 2018 interview.
Speaking on the “Higher Learning” podcast, he said: “I already heard him say that stuff before at TMZ.
“I mean, I was taken aback because that type of antisemitic talk is disgusting. It’s like, I’m taken aback any time anyone does that, right? But as far as [West], I knew that that was in him because when he came to TMZ, he said that stuff and they took it out of the interview...
“He said something like, ‘I love Hitler, I love Nazis.’ Something to that effect when he was there. And they took it out of the interview for whatever reason. It wasn’t my decision.”
The furore began when West posted on Twitter that he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people”.
The mercurial rapper has since lost his partnerships with fashion companies Vogue and Balenciaga, upcoming deals with GAP, his talent agency Creative Artists Agency, and plans for a documentary with MRC Entertainment following a further string of antisemitic remarks.
Bournemouth FC announced on Thursday that they will no longer use West's 2010 hit “Power” as a walk out song.
Universal Music Group, who used to distribute West’s music, told CNN that their relationship with his GOOD label ended last year.
In a statement, they said: “There is no place for antisemitism in our society. We are deeply committed to combating antisemitism and every other form of prejudice.”
